Misunderstandings
by Macavity the Mystery Cat
Summary: There are some things that even Ami Kawashima can't have. And it is entirely her own fault.


Misunderstandings – A Toradora Fanfiction

I do not own Toradora or its characters and I have no intention of profiting from this story

Her room was a mess. Well, she was a mess. Both mentally and physically. She didn't want to look in the mirror. She was sure her make-up had run everywhere. Tears had a habit of messing things up like that. One of the first rules of modeling: never cry while in make-up…or at least, not where anyone could see.

There were moments in Ami's life that she often wished she could change. Some were small things, like what she ate or the make-up she chose for the day. Other times…well, other times she wished it was possible to just rip the entire day out by the hair on its head and put a brand spanking new day back in its place. Of course, she knew it wasn't possible to do that. And that the things that she wanted to change most were her own fault.

* * *

"Takasu! Takasu!" she called, as she jogged over to him. He looked up at her from whatever it was that he was doing, and waved. She smiled when his gaze dropped for a moment to her chest as it bounced slightly as she ran, then back up to her with a small blush apparent on his face. She had it alright, and the gym uniform was a welcome chance to show it off. Not as good as the swimsuit had been, but suitable enough.

Not that Takasu was less than a gentleman, pity that. After the first glance, he kept himself in control, eyes remaining clearly above the neck. Ami restrained a frown. It was like the poor boy was wearing a chastity belt sometimes.

"Yo, Ami. Something wrong?" He asked, stopping from sorting the gym equipment into small piles to speak with her.

She pouted. "Does something have to be wrong for me to talk with you, Takasu?" she gave him her best frown, knowing he'd see right through it, "You always assume I bring trouble!"

He raised an eyebrow, then crouched back down and continued to sort the equipment. "And are you saying you don't?" he replied. "If it isn't you and Taiga arguing, it's you hiding from some boy you've flirted with too much."

With anyone else, she'd have tried to conceal the look of hurt and anger that spread across her face, but not with Takasu. Never with Takasu. He'd see right through the mask anyway. If he was paying attention. And that was a very big "if" these days. "Honestly, Takasu, is that really what you think?" she asked, letting a little bit of actual concern and sadness bleed through.

He looked up from his work and turned to her, and immediately saw her face. His apologetic look assuaged her feeling even before his words reached her. "I-I-I'm sorry, Ami. You're right. That isn't entirely true."

She raised an eyebrow. "Entirely true, Takasu?"

He looked her in the eye, and a small smile appeared on his face. "Don't push it." And he returned to his work.

She laughed loud enough to startle nearby classmates, though Takasu, of course, took it in stride like he did with everything else. He simply continued to sort the equipment until she was done. If there was one thing that Ami liked about Takasu—well, there were many things she liked about Takasu—but the one thing that always jumped to the top of her mind was his ability to simply expect and accept things. Patience and understanding were his greatest virtues. "So, Takasu, where's Taiga today? Out being a little delinquent somewhere else?"

He frowned at her, but didn't stop working. "Don't call her that. She's sick; mild flu. Her doctor said that she should be up and about by the end of the week."

Ami's eyes lit up. The little ruffian was out for a week, huh? That certainly left some opportunities that an enterprising girl like herself could take advantage of. All's fair, right?

"I see, Takasu. I hope she gets better, soon." She took a few careful steps forward.

He snorted. "I doubt it. The silly girl won't stay still. As soon as I got her to bed, she was trying to get out of it and get to school," he frowned, a cute expression for him, "I had to lock her in with Yasuko before she would stay," He snorted, "And that's because Taiga knows that getting up would wake her."

"Oh…? And that would be bad why?" Ami added, stressing the syllable a little, adding a little more breathiness, and sneak a little closer, and bent over.

He made an amused noise, "That's right; you haven't met my mother yet, have you?" But she would like to, "Well, she gets home late from her job, and she's a terror if she's woke-" He turned to face her, and suddenly his face went completely red. She smiled inside. Sometimes a little service went a long way.

"A-A-Ami…Uh…You should…uh…er…" He stuttered. She loved when he did that.

"Hmm? What is it Takasu?" she asked innocently, rolling her head cutely aside in a questioning manner, making sure to let the roll carry on to…other parts.

"Y-Y-you should be c-ca-careful when you bend over, Ami!" He stuttered, managing to turn his head aside in embarrassment. She was pleased that it seemed so difficult for him. So the chastity belt had its limits. That was good to know.

"Oh?" She asked puzzled, then slowly looked down towards her chest. Through the neck hole of her gym T-shirt she saw her perfectly formed breasts. They were covered by a sports bra, of course, which was unfortunate, but it was still enough to make a boy like Takasu blush. Of course, with what she was sporting under the bra would make boys far more perverse than Takasu blush.

She looked back up toward him, lending the slightest hint of a smile. "Oh my, Takasu...You're being such a _naughty_ boy today," She said playfully, and scooted a little bit closer, again exaggerating the movement, just to give her chest a little bit more momentum.

But to her great disappointment, Takasu didn't even give it a second look. He refused to even look in her direction. The chastity belt was firmly back in place. She sighed, a little regretfully. "Don't be so boring."

He gave her a look, and then picked up on of the stacks of equipment he had been sorting, and headed off to the P.E. shed. She watched him for a second, and then an idea came to her mind that made her smile. She picked up one of the smaller piles of equipment and dashed after him. He gave her an amused look when she caught up with him, but she stuck her tongue out at him and smirked.

"Since you aren't burdened with the shortie, why not join me after school, Takasu?" she asked sweetly, "There's this neat little café that opened up down by the subway station that I've been dying to try," she gave her best cute frown. Well, her frowns were always cute, but this one she really put some effort into, "But it'd be a pity to go by myself. Really it would."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she knew with a flash of irritation and a slight sinking feeling that her attempt had failed. But she didn't let that stop her. "And you haven't gone with Maya and the rest of the girls in the class, why?"

She puffed up her cheeks in irritation, another expression she knew that men found adorable, "Because I don't want to go with _them_, Takasu!"

They had reached the P.E. shed, and they walked in. Ami helped Takasu put away the equipment, despite the dirt and the grime that filled the shed, because she knew this would perhaps be the best chance to get him alone. "So how about it, Takasu?"

He frowned for a second, as if considering, and then shook his head. "I can't, I should get back to Taiga. She's doesn't take being cooped up very well," he sighed in exasperation, "Besides, the house is probably a mess."

Ami felt the growl start in her belly, work its way up her throat, and out of her mouth before she even realized it. She grabbed a startled Takasu, and shoved him hard against a pile of gymnastic mats. It wasn't enough to knock him off balance, but it was certainly enough to grab his attention. Of course, it was probably hard for his attention to be anywhere else when she was pressed up against him like a second skin.

She held the two of them in that position for a moment while she caught her breath. It felt good. Real good. But she could already feel Takasu starting to try to squirm out of her grasp.

"Why do you bother to take care of that midget?" she asked softly looking up at his face, and felt his squirming die a little. He was just about perfect height. She thought she could lean forward a little, and his chin would lie perfectly on her head. It was like they were made for each other.

"You know she isn't good for you." She ran her hand down slowly down his chest. It wasn't a strong feeling, but it wasn't weak either. She smiled to herself when she felt him twitch, but didn't let her tone change. "She's an ill-tempered woman. I don't think she can make you happy," she was tempted to let her hands wander further, but almost instinctively knew that that would be a bad move to try on Takasu. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that either, "But you know," she felt her voice unconsciously become a little quieter as she pulled his face down to level with hers, "…I think I…could make you happy…"

She felt his arms move for the first time, and could feel them rest on her shoulders. She closed her eyes, happy that he was finally responding, and began to lean in to capture what should have been hers from the start.

She was surprised by the violent push that knocked her back into another pile of mats and onto her knees. Her eyes were open in a flash, and she stared at Takasu, not quite understanding. He was panting hard, with his face as red as it could get. He looked confused, angry, and a little lost; feelings that she shared. What had just happened?

After a few moments of just staring at each other, Takasu seemed to come to his senses, and bolted for the door. His movement shook Ami out of her daze, and she tried to grab him as he ran by her, but he shrugged off her grip as if it were nothing, leaving her sprawled on the floor. "Takasu! Wait! Let me explain!"

He paused at the door, and slowly turned around, breathing hard, whether from the short run or something else, she didn't know. They stared at each other for a few more moments before he spoke. He turned his head, not looking directly at her. "You should be careful who you tease, Ami. Some boys won't get the joke like I do. You might get hurt someday." With that, he ran, not looking back, leaving Ami on the floor, not seeing her tears.

* * *

Yes, she wished she could take many things back. Her actions, her words, her own image. But most of all she wished she could take those first few days that they had met back. She'd pay anything to redo them, to try them again, to start anew. For those few days had set a pattern that couldn't be broken. Something had solidified in Takasu's mind that she could never get around. Something she had done, said, or some combination of the two. And that is why she couldn't have him.

Not today. Not ever.

* * *

Short Ami story. Toradora's a story that I like a lot, and Ami is a character that I really like. She should be everything that a man should want (at least looks wise), but she consistently fails to grab Takasu's attention. And in the end, its really all her own fault. She started off by teasing him, and by the time she realized she wanted him, he assumed that all of her advances were jokes. So she dug her own grave. *Shrugs* Toradora is pretty much the only show where it isn't the male lead who fails, it's the women. Anyways, thanks to Typewriterman for betaing this for me. First story I've had beta'd in years. O.o *Laughs*

And I'm working on Beginnings and Endings, so expect a chapter of that in the next couple of weeks…Maybe. _


End file.
